I Hate You
by TooBusyBeingAnAwkoTaco
Summary: Daniel and Eldon had always been rivals. Now, as competitions force them to compete against each other, it sparks something inside the both of them. However, neither can shake their hatred for each other. WARNINGS: m/m, boyxboy, love/hate relationship, OOCness (somewhat). Rated T, may change to M.
1. I Hate You

**PLEASE READ ****_(IMPORTANT)_****: Okay, so I honestly have 0 ideas as to why I'm writing this fic. I don't even really like this show all that much (but I've seem every episode? Can't stop won't stop I guess) and I sure don't ship this ship (okay.. maybe a lil) but yet here I am! I have another story I really should be working on but... Idk, I don have any excuses. **

**Firstly, this story has not been edited. I wrote it out, and am now posting it. I've changed scenes, added scenes, changed dialogue, and added dialogue. So, in short, it isn't exactly the same as the actual show. This is a fanFICTION, after all. Also, characters are most likely OOC. But I refrained from making them swear since they don't on the show. This was a huge struggle, btw. **

**I don't know how many chapters there will be (At the least - 2, at the most - 5). But, yeah. Let's get this show on the road! **

**DISCLAIMER: "I Hate You" by TooBusyBeingAnAwkoTaco is a purely a work of fanfiction. She does not own 'The Next Step' or any of their characters.**

* * *

_"I hate you when you're gone I hate you turn me on, I hate the way I need you when I don't know where you are. I love it even more, when I find you on the floor. I know you think you hate me, but I will always hate you more." - I Hate You, Sick Puppies. _

* * *

All his life, Eldon knew he was different from everyone else. Maybe it was because, at age 4, he pestered his parents to let him join dance classes, whereas all the other little boys he went to school with were beginning to practice soccer or T-ball. Or maybe it was because he developed a crush on Emily, one of his best friends, and even after he realized he didn't actually like her, he still kept up the act to fit in. He already got made fun of at school for being passionate about dance, and he didn't need to be teased about not liking any girls either.

Scratch that; Eldon didn't want to be teased about not liking girls at _all_.

During the time he had a crush on Emily, there were countless nights where he stayed up, questioning himself and what he felt. _Why did he act so obsessive over a girl who didn't so much as look at him? Why was he so attached to her? _

Eventually, he came to understanding that he was simply in denial of what he really liked. And that was _boys_.

Instantly labelling himself a freak, Eldon kept this a secret. It practically ate him alive from the inside out. In order to maintain his straight-guy-persona, he decided to pretend he had a crush on Emily, as if nothing happened.

But then Emily suddenly had a change of heart and gave him a chance. Eldon felt guilty, but went out with her anyways, because he wanted to make Emily happy, and because he didn't want people to question him. _Why did Eldon turn Emily down, the girl he's liked for years? Is there something he isn't telling us?_

This situation left him as a mess during the nights. Eldon began experiencing feelings he'd never felt before: self-hatred, anxiousness, and confusion being the main three. He knew he had to put an end to all of that, so he came up with one of the _stupidest_ plans in the history of dating.

He confessed to Emily that he had stronger feelings for Michelle.

Of course, Eldon felt even more horrible than before. He'd broken Emily's heart. He acted so selfishly and rudely, it wasn't like him. It was the fear inside him, causing him to not think properly. However, Emily got over it quickly and everything was okay. Until Michelle admitted she returned Eldon's so-called feelings.

As if his life was repeating itself, Eldon strung Michelle along just to make her happy, and to seem normal to his peers. Don't get him wrong — he didn't _enjoy_ toying with her emotions. He just thought that that was what he needed to do.

And when him and Michelle split up, it was almost as if Eldon had stepped into a light of pure freedom. Every weight he'd been agonizingly carrying had been lifted, and he understood how to be happy again. Dance made him happy, and the troubles of being 'normal' did not.

Flash forward a few months, and Eldon was being faced with decisions beyond his own comprehension.

* * *

"I still can't believe you have to go up against _Daniel_ in half an hour," James said, scoffing a bit after this words. "Have you spoken to him since he left the Next Step?"

Eldon shook his head, grasping onto his water bottle firmly. "Didn't want to bother him over in Expert Land."

"Ouch, throwing shade already, man? Wait for the competition to start!" West exclaimed, laughing and receiving a high-five from James. "Seriously, though, don't talk to him. I tried to be nice and he ended up acting like a huge jerk."

"Yeah, bro, steer clear of him. He'll try to mess with your head before you go on stage." James said. He clapped a hand on Eldon's shoulder and gave an attempt at a supportive smile.

Eldon nodded and stood up, mumbling some excuse about heading backstage to prepare. He passed most of his fellow teammates as he went, he accepted all the "Good luck"s and the "Break a leg"s as he went. He was extremely proud to be apart of a team with such genuine and helpful people on it. Eldon was truly blessed.

He made it backstage and entered his dressing room. Miss Kate was waiting out near the stage, watching the other competitors as they danced. Eldon closed the door and spotted his costume hanging up on a hook beside the mirror. He took off his purple track jacket and his sky blue t-shirt, leaving him shirtless. He glanced over at the mirror, noticing how toned and muscled his pale body way. Eldon chuckled quietly to himself, remembering all the kids who picked on him for being so scrawny in elementary school. If only they could see him now.

Eldon was so busy silently admiring his reflection, he almost didn't hear someone knock on his door. Before his could grab a shirt, the door was opened and _Daniel_ of all people poked his head in.

"Sorry for interrupting.." Daniel said, his smirk almost melting off. His breathing hitched and Eldon frowned, knotting his eyebrows in confusion. Daniel, realizing Eldon noticed this, shook his head and coughed awkwardly. "I-I just wanted to say good luck. Everybody knows you'll need it."

Eldon picked up his costume and scoffed. "Maybe don't act so cocky. It really doesn't suit you."

"I'm not being cocky; I'm confident. There's a difference." Daniel stated, fully entering the room and folding his arms across his chest.

Eldon could only stare at what Daniel was wearing; faded grey jeans, a tight black tank top, and a leather jacket. Not only did the cockiness not suit him, his attire didn't either. When did he exchange his loose, baggy sweats and sweaters, for tight, black leather? Daniel's changed, drastically, and it definitely wasn't for the better.

He recalled what his friends had said, about not talking to Daniel. However, he pushed those thoughts away and focused on what was happened in the now. Daniel was being rude, and he wanted to set him in his place.

"Just because you're _confident_, or whatever you call it, doesn't mean you can act like a jerk." Eldon said, walking over in front of him.

"Just because you can't _handle the pressure_, doesn't mean _you_ can act like a jerk." Daniel retorted, taking a step closer. Eldon didn't move, although he was extremely appalled.

"Me? A jerk? Are you even hearing yourself right now?" He exploded. "Ever since you left the Next Step for this dumb SuperStar dance team, you turned into this rude, sarcastic slimeball."

"_Slimeball_? Oh, how mature of you," Daniel scoffed. "And SuperStar isn't dumb. To be honest, it's better than the Next Step probably ever will be."

"Well —"

Interrupting Eldon, the door opened and Chris was found outside. He sighed irriatatedly. "Daniel, I specifically told you not to come over here. C'mon, you're on in five."

Sparing one last, cruel look at Eldon, Daniel exited the dressing room. Once he was gone, Eldon took a couple deep breaths to calm his racing heart. Never had he ever been a part of something so intense. He wiped the non-existent sweat off of his forehead and got changed.

* * *

After they announced that Eldon won the Male Solo competition round, he felt downright ecstatic. So many emotions ran through his my mind, and electricity flowed in his veins. He felt alive.

He bowed, a huge grin spread across his face. Eldon turned to go backstage, but Daniel harshly slammed into his shoulder. Being fed up with his antics, Eldon grabbed Daniel's wrist and tugged him back. "You did a good job," Eldon murmured, barely audible over the audience, who were still applauding and cheering. "However, you should really learn not to be so cocky next time."

Daniel sneered and was about to spit out a snarky comment, but stopped himself. He didn't know what came over him, but he just.. He didn't care anymore. "Thanks. You were amazing. It sucks, though, to lose to you twice in a row."

Eldon smiled, relief flooding his body. This, Daniel not being mean, it was progress. Eldon was more than happy to see this side of him again. "I guess you'll have to practice more, and we can do this again sometime."

"You're on," Daniel said, grinning widely. Eldon let go of his arm and they walked away in seperate directions. "You're still my rival, though."

"Of course." Eldon called over his shoulder.

The other dancers from the Next Step engulfed him in hugs. They all congratulated him and Eldon knew that this is where he belonged.

* * *

A couple weeks later, Eldon sat agitatedly in the café below his dance studio. Kate and Lucien had just announced that the Next Step dancers and the Elite dancers would be competing against each other for spots on the Internationals team. Eldon thought the idea itself was completely absurd, and immediately fled the room. He knew they probably started the competition already and had to face the facts; he would not be getting a spot on that team.

That thought, however, was much worse than the one about competing. He wanted to go to Internationals more than anything. More than he wanted to drink clean water, or inhale fresh air. He _needed_ this.

Biting his lips and second guessing himself, Eldon left the coffee shop and began to make his way back upstairs.

He stopped when he got to the hallway in front of the door to Studio A. What if they already started, and refused to let him participate because of how he acted? That was worse case scenario, obviously, but Eldon had a tendency to think of the worst.

"So we meet again."

Eldon spun around at lightning speed at the sound of that voice. _His _voice. _Daniel's_ voice. There he stood, tight black shorts, tight black tank, and a white sweater. The sweater was different, and caused Eldon to frown. That was until he saw the swirly letters of the word _Elite_ written on the front.

"You're with Elite now? What happened to Julliard?" Eldon said, shocked, and also a bit hurt. He'd betrayed the Next Step, once again.

"I blew the audition. I knew that attending that school would most likely prevent me from dancing against you again, and I didn't want that to happen." Daniel admitted.

"And you joined Elite?" Eldon said incredulously. "You do realize that if we both end up on the Internationals team, we'll have to dance _together_, and not _against_ each other, right?"

"Maybe it wouldn't be so bad."

Eldon, feeling rage course through his chest, pushed Daniel against the wall. Daniel let out a puff of breath, clearly winded and more so confused. Eldon didn't care, though. "What's your deal? You've got to have some sort of ulterior motive. You hate everyone here at the Next Step. Are you going to sabotage them today or something?"

"No ulterior motives," Daniel gasped, straining for air. Eldon held him pressed against the wall, gripping fistfuls of the cursed Elite sweater. "No sabotage. I'm not like that."

"Like hell you're not." Eldon said, laughing and shaking his head to himself.

"Well you're not like _this_. Let me go." Daniel ordered. "If you don't, I'll punch you."

"Yeah, right. I doubt you have the guts to do something—"

_Whack! _Eldon felt Daniel's fist collide with his left cheekbone, and immense pain exploded on his face. He tasted blood in his mouth. He pushed away the tears in his eyes and noticed that Daniel had split his knuckles open, and they were bleeding.

"Don't test me," Daniel said through gritted teeth. "Now let me go."

"Why don't you act more mature?" Eldon snapped. "You can't live your life terrorizing and hurting people."

Again, Daniel's fist smashed against Eldon's face. His jaw this time. The crack was almost cringe-worthy. Eldon turned his head and spat blood onto the floor. He saw even more red on Daniel's hand and felt blood on his cheek.

"It's only you, you clueless _loser_," Daniel hissed. "I only hurt _you_."

"_Why_? Because you're jealous of me? Well, you should also learn to grow up and get over it—"

"_No_," Daniel interrupting in a low tone, that made Eldon's eyes widen. He grabbed onto Eldon's shirt and tugged him dangerously close. They locked eyes and the stare down was intense. "No, you _idiot_. I was jealous of you for all of five minutes. Now.. You just.. You _infuriate_ me. You drive me absolutely insane and I can't think straight because of you. But... It's like I'm _obsessed_. Obsessed with the feeling of hatred and rage that envelopes my body when I think if you. Obsessed with being near you, and being angry with you. Obsessed with _you_, in general. I can't.. I can't get you out of my head and I _hate_ it."

Daniel looked down, embarrassed, and loosened his grip on Eldon's shirt. A tear or two cascaded down his cheeks and the only thing Eldon could register was how rapidly his heart was beating.

"Daniel.."

"Let me go, Eldon.." Daniel mumbled, in a mad tone, albeit he was very quiet.

"_Daniel_..."

Daniel looked up, his brown eyes glisten with tears. "Eldon, pl—"

Not thinking twice, Eldon smashed his lips against Daniel's. _This_. This is what they wanted, what they _actually_ needed. Daniel let out a relieved sort of laugh and wrapped his arms around Eldon's neck, closing any gaps between them. Eldon bit down hard on Daniel's lip, as a sort of payback for the punching.

The biting drew blood, and the kiss only heated up more than before. Daniel pulled him closer, kissing him hard, hard enough for their teeth to knock together once or twice. It was harsh and rude and oh so full of rage, that kiss.

Eldon moved his hands from Daniel's sweater and instead pushed against his hips, receiving a gasp from the brunet-haired boy. It was like music to Eldon's ears.

Once air was too scarce to continue on, they pulled away from each other, breathing heavily.

A short couple seconds later, Eldon raised his fist and punched Daniel as hard as he could on the nose.

Daniel collapsed to the ground. "Oh my _God! _What the _hell_ was that for?!" He exclaimed, clutching his nose. Blood dripped through his fingers and onto the floor.

"It's not fair that my face is bruised and cut and bleeding, while yours looks fine. Think of it as.. Being even." Eldon remarked, holding out a hand for Daniel. The latter accepted it and pulled himself up.

"I guess we should go in there." Daniel said, casting a sideways glance at Eldon.

"I guess so."

"I still hate you, though, just so we're clear."

"And I still hate you, too."

* * *

Eldon and Daniel walked into Studio A side-by-side. Even though he was in pain and should've been nervous, he was more thrilled and happy than anything else. Which was strange, but he guessed Daniel just had that effect on him.

As soon as they entered, everybody in the room turned to look at them. From what it seemed, they hadn't started the competition yet, which was a huge relief. Then Eldon remembered what had happened in the hallway.

They were both flushed with swollen lips from that kiss, but Daniel's bottom lip was cut open and bleeding. Daniel also had bruises on his nose, which was still spurting blood. He did his best to cover it, but it was no use; the blood was flowing between his fingers. Eldon, on the other hand, must've had bruises all over his jaw and cheek, and he knew that his cheek had been bleeding before, but he didn't know what it looked liked then.

Kate's eyes widened incredibly large, as did everyone else's. "What happened?!" She said, rushing over.

Lucien walked over as well, folding his arms across his chest. "It's obvious they had a fight. Who started it?"

Eldon and Daniel both remained silent. They didn't know what the consequences of that fight would be, but neither of them wanted to get into the most trouble.

Kate sighed. "You know what? It doesn't matter. Come into my office and we'll clean you up. Lucien, go ahead and start the competition."

The two boys followed their instructor into her office and she made them sit down on chairs. Kate frantically looked through drawers. "Just so you know, you're not getting away with this. Both of you will be punished."

"We can still compete for spots on the Internationals team, right?" Daniel asked, in a hopefully tone. He didn't want to have joined Elite for nothing.

Kate rubbed her forehead tiredly, clearly overthinking. "I guess so. But, we'll talk about it later." She found her first-aid kit and immediately opened it up.

Eldon and Daniel let her clean up their cuts with antiseptic. Once they were all done, Kate studied their faces intently. "Nothing's broken, right?"

They both nodded.

"Okay, that's good. Eldon, you're probably going to have a nasty black eye for awhile. But, to stop some of the swelling, I'm going to head down to the coffee shop to get some ice for the two of you. Wait here." Kate left the office and it was just Daniel and Eldon alone.

Or, alone as you could be in an office where all the walls were just windows looking out to the studio. They knew well enough that people were watching them. Daniel turned his head slightly to see what was going on. "Lucien picked Hunter's name first. Now Hunter has to pick his opponent."

Eldon remained silent, unsure of what to say.

"Nobody's really focused on what he's doing, though," Daniel continued. "Everyone's looking at us. Whispering and pointing. Kind of rude, to be honest."

"You're one to talk," Eldon said, looking anywhere except in his direction. "Hypocrite."

"Do you need to be punched again?" Daniel asked. His voice was laced with anger, like it had been before. Eldon began to think maybe he was serious. Daniel had said that he enjoyed fighting with Eldon, but he thought maybe the kiss changed that. Clearly, it didn't.

"Maybe _you_ need to be punched again. Calm down and take a joke." The blonde boy said, none too nicely. He almost didn't see Daniel curl his hand into a fist and take a swing before it was too late. Luckily, Eldon had quick reflexes and caught his wrist before his hand had a chance to make contact with his face again.

"You irritate me," was all Daniel said, reclaiming his hand and holding it at his side.

"Same here." Eldon responded.

It went quiet after that. Eventually, Eldon turned around to see what was happening in the studio. To his surprise, everyone was gone and the room was empty. "Did you catch who's name Hunter picked from the hat?"

"No, I was too busy plotting to knock your lights out to notice. My bad." Daniel muttered under his breath. Eldon rolled his eyes and leaned his chin on his hand.

* * *

An hour later, Eldon sat among his fellow Next Step dancers, holding a bag of ice to his cheek. Nobody was talking to him, and it was very awkward to sit with them. He spared a look across the room, where Daniel was standing with the Elite dancers. Daniel had ice on his nose, but even over the bag, Eldon was able to make eye contact with him. Daniel narrowed his eyes and immediately gazed away.

Eldon sighed in annoyance and leaned against the wall just as Hunter entered Studio A. Trailing behind him was one of the few male dancers from Elite.

"Wait, who'd Hunter pick?" Eldon asked, to James, who sat beside him.

"Originally, it had been you," James confessed, folding his arms across his chest. Eldon was shocked. "But you were too busy picking fights with Mr SuperStar over there, so we had him pick again. His name is Max or something."

"Oh." Eldon uttered. He didn't know what else to say.

Max began dancing, but Eldon couldn't seem to pay attention. Plus, James kept their conversation going. "What was that about anyways?"

"Nothing," The contemporary dancer said. James raised an eyebrow. "Okay, fine. It wasn't nothing. Daniel just came out from nowhere, I said some things... Um. He punched me twice, and then —"

He cut himself off, a lump forming in his throat. No, _no_. He couldn't tell anybody about their kiss because _this_ is what he always feared; confrontation and rejection. Eldon didn't need to be questioned and made fun of.

Eldon coughed and continued, "— then I punched him in the nose."

"What, that's it? Damn." James whistled, placing his hands behind his head. "Didn't think you had the nerve to punch someone, though."

"Daniel is just that big of a jerk," Eldon said, grinning at his hands.

James let out a loud, obnoxious laugh and clapped Eldon on the shoulder. Everybody turned to stare at him, but Max never faltered during his solo. Never.

The breakdancer cleared his throat awkwardly, and, smiling one last time at Eldon, focused on the dance.

Both Max and Hunter finished up their routines and they were pretty even. However, Max ended up getting the most votes, and Hunter was officially off the team. Another point towards Elite was scored.

Hunter tried hard to mask his emotions, but he was really upset. He ended up leaving the studio right away.

Lucien, who was smiling like a maniac, lifted up the pink hat. "Max, come on over and pick out the next name."

Max stepped over and picked out a random piece of paper. Everybody was on edge as he unfolded it and read aloud what it said, "Eldon."

People cheered and clapped supportingly. Eldon stood up but Miss Kate held up her hands. "Wait, wait; are you feeling good enough to dance? I only want you to participate at your absolute best."

"Oh, yeah, I'm totally fine. Don't worry about it," Eldon said, walking over to where Lucien held up the hat. "Besides," he muttered. "Daniel can't punch that hard anyways."

Most of the Next Step dancers let out a chorus of "_Oo~h_"s and "_Bur~n_"s. Eldon bit his lip to keep from grinning and glanced over at Daniel. The brunet was breathing heavily, clearly trying to calm down his raging nerves.

Eldon dished out a paper and unfolded it. After reading the name on the paper, his heart dropped. He looked up, made eye contact with everyone in the room, but stopped at Daniel's eyes. He gulped. "Daniel."

* * *

**Woo, okay, there's chapter one! Once again, this isn't edited. Also, I KNOW the whole thing is awful and weird, so please don't remind me. NO FLAMES! DIDN'T LIKE IT? DON'T REVIEW. HOWEVER, FEEDBACK AND POLITE CRITICISM ARE WELCOME. **

**Idk when the next chapter will be up! Sorry. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter (if ANYONE decides to read this. I'll be okay if only one person reads it actually ahaha).**

**\- Emily**


	2. Love the Way You Hate Me

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait! I missed a couple episodes of TNS (including the one where Daniel comes back after Chloe leaves) and you literally cannot watch them ANYWHERE online. So. My motivation kind of died. BUT I found this neat trick today to help with writer's block and I managed to finish this chapter! Sorry if it sucks/seems rushed. You guys have waited a long time (nearly a month) for this chapter so my apologies.**

**ALSO WARNING this chapter is so awkward and it embarrasses the hell out of me. I hardly ship Daniel and Eldon and writing that one scene in this chapter is just so weird for me to read...So excuse any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors because I refuse to re-read any parts of this story lol.**

**DISCLAIMER: TooBusyBeingAnAwkoTaco doesn't own 'The Next Step' or any of their characters. Also she is sorry. Also it's 11:30pm right now and she JUST finished writing this chapter and decided to upload it right away and she can't keep her eyes open (just a warning).**

* * *

_"You think I'm nothing, because I'm nothing like you, you think you know me, you have no idea what I've been through, so take a shot, say what you want about me. All you are is everything that I will never be (fake). You say I'm a freak, I say I am free, come take a shot at me, I love the way you hate me. You say I'm insane, I say you're afraid, I get stronger from the pain, I love the way you hate me." Love the Way You Hate Me, Like A Storm. _

* * *

_Eldon dished out a paper and unfolded it. After reading the name on the paper, his heart dropped. He looked up, made eye contact with everyone in the room, but stopped at Daniel's eyes. He gulped. "Daniel."_

If possible, people let out even louder choruses of "Oo~h"s than before, when Eldon had made fun of Daniel.

Daniel stood up and strode over, his head held high. Eldon clenched his teeth and realized he was still the same, cocky, slimey Daniel he'd been at Nationals. His stomach coiled in pure disgust as he walked over.

Lucien was grinning from ear-to-ear. "This is perfect!" He announced, clapping his hands together excitedly. Kate looked on edge, as if she were doubting letting Eldon and Daniel go against each other. "We can punish them now. I have an idea, for their punishments, if that's alright with you Miss Kate."

She rubbed her forehead, contemplating the situation. Kate didn't think letting the two rivals dance against each other would be okay, but when Lucien suggested giving them their punishments at that moment, she realized she couldn't refuse that. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

"How about..." Lucien trailed off, for effect. "Instead of giving them the solid hour to rehearse, we only allow twenty minutes."

Eldon glanced at Daniel, worriedly. Eldon had been practicing his solo for a few days, ever since he'd found out about the competition. But Daniel had only joined Elite very recently, so Eldon didn't know if he was confident with his solo.

"Seems fair enough to me." Kate agreed, nodding sternly at the boys.

"Wait, I'm not done," Lucien continued, spreading his arms out, in a wide gesture. "Also, you have to now choreograph an extra thirty seconds to you dance. AND, just for the heck of it, you have to spend every second night here, at Studio A, cleaning the place up."

Eldon honestly could care less about the whole cleaning up thing, but the extra thirty seconds? That was going to be tough, considering they only had twenty minutes to practice. Eldon gave Miss Kate a look, silently pleading her to think rationally about it all.

Kate, to his surprise, sighed through her nose. "I'm sorry, guys, but it's a good punishment. This is A-Troupe, we're going to be rehearsing for Internationals soon. We need to make sure that everybody on the team is willing to take it seriously, and that we won't have any funny business going on."

Daniel agreed instantly, and Eldon reluctantly nodded his head. "Alright, then," Kate said. "You have twenty minutes starting now. I wish you the best of luck."

* * *

Eldon sat in the Music Room, drinking from a bottle of water. It had taken him all of three minutes to choreograph the extra thirty seconds, and then he practice for the other seven. With ten minutes left to spare, he sat on a bench, thinking about nothing and everything at the same time.

He understood how much pressure he was under. He understood how much stress he _should've_ been feeling. Yet, there Eldon was, sitting with a relaxed posture, as if his life was great. But his life _wasn't_ great. In less than ten minutes, there was a possibility of him getting kicked off his dance team. Not to mention he had Daniel to deal with.

What was with that guy anyways? First, he's a total jerk. Then, they kiss. Eldon thought maybe, just _maybe_, they would finally be friends again, like they used to be. But, nope. Daniel goes right back to being a jerk.

To be honest, Eldon really enjoyed the kiss. It was one of the best, most surreal thing he'd ever experienced in his entire life. He assumed Daniel reciprocated his feelings, judging by how he reacted to the kiss. Eldon was thrilled that he found someone like _him_. There was also that little part of him that was thrilled that is was Daniel, of all people, for God knows why.

Eldon's never even thought about Daniel that way before. Originally, they had been kind of friends, mostly rivals. They danced so similarly, that the only way you could distinguish them sometimes was by their hair colour. Still, Eldon mostly hated him. Never _liked_ him — or _like_ liked, for clarification purposes. So why was he so happy that Daniel was the one that was interested in the same things (or, people. Or, even more so, _gender_ of people) as him?

Wanting answers, Eldon decided to be initiative, be proactive, and went to go find Daniel. He'd either be practicing in Studio B, getting a drink from Hadalgo's, or waiting up in Studio A. There were only three possible options, so Eldon knew he'd be able to find him before they were due to start their solos.

He checked the coffee shop first, and came up empty handed. Eldon next went to Studio B. He didn't see anybody at first, but did a double take as Daniel ran from the corner of the room and did a bunch of flips and tricks. Eldon was shocked; Daniel had _improved_ since he last saw him dance. Like, _a lot_. Eldon had been super confident about getting the spot on the Internationals team, but he was beginning to doubt himself.

Daniel went to do a pirouette, but stopped dead in his tracks when his eyes landed on Eldon, who hadn't moved from his spot at the doorway. Daniel's made a face and, words curling irritably, said, "What, you've taken to _spying_ on me now? Are you really _that_ self-conscious?"

Eldon grimaced, not letting his hurtful words get to him. He swallowed thickly, trying to remove the lump that had formed in his throat at the sight of Daniel. He was in his regular shorts and tank top, but his entire body was glistening with sweat, and the cuts on his face didn't exactly help at all. Eldon found it hard to look away. "I came to talk."

Daniel, still breathing heavily from practicing his routine, ran a hand through his hair. He picked up a half empty water bottle and sat on the floor. "So talk."

Eldon took that as an invitation to sit down as well. He met his enemy's narrowed brown eyes and held the gaze intensely. "What are we?"

"Pardon me?" Daniel coughed, eyes wide. He wiped his lip and knotted his eyebrows together tightly. "I didn't think we we're _anything_ — rivals, enemies, nemeses, at most."

Eldon didn't know how to reply to that. Of course, all of his thoughts and feelings had been irrelevant and irrational once again.

Daniel's mouth slowly started forming the shape of an 'O.' "You're referring to what happened outside of Studio A."

The blonde dancer shrugged with one shoulder, embarrassed. He couldn't even glance up, for fear of meeting Daniel's large, vindictive gaze. Daniel probably pitied Eldon for believing that there was something between the two boys. How foolish of him.

"Listen, Eldon," Daniel said, making a slight, _slight_ movement to get closer to Eldon. "I assumed we both thought that the kiss was just a way to blow off steam. There was an incredible amount of tension between us back there, and the kiss was the only logical option to relieve it. If I do have any sort of feelings for you, they'll most likely be synonyms for _hatred_."

"Right.." Eldon murmured, ignoring the uncomfortable pang he felt in his chest. He bit the tip of his tongue, mentally telling himself to _shut up_ and to _not say out loud what he was thinking_. But once again, his mouth won over his mind. "However, if I do remember correctly, you said you were obsessed with me."

Daniel pailed and started stammering, too flustered to organize his thoughts into normal sentences. Eldon could nearly hear his heart beating from the few feet of distance between them. "I-I didn't mean — It wasn't — I didn't _technically_ say that—"

"You were also crying —"

"_Shut up_," Daniel growled, his teeth grinding together. He was on his knees now, closer to Eldon than before. His mind was racing but one thing he was thinking was clear; how _dare_ Eldon speak to him like that. "Shut up.."

"And you let out this grateful, or _pleased_ kind of chuckle when I did kiss you—"

Daniel abruptly stood up, groaning angrily. He placed his hands behind his head and started pacing the room. Eldon got to his feet, too, finding it unnecessary to remain seated on the floor any longer. To be honest, Daniel was started to make him nervous, even if he did have the upper hand in the conversation.

"Look, I — okay, fine, _whatever_," Daniel spat out, finally coming to a stop in front of Eldon. He let his hands drop to his sides and the stare Daniel gave him was so murderous, it was almost inhuman. "Those things did happen. But in my defence, I was caught up in the moment."

"So..." Eldon trailed off, raising a questioning eyebrow. "You _do_ like me?"

Daniel opened his mouth to respond, but paused. He was breathing so heavily with rage, and Eldon was afraid that his rival might pass out. "I-I don't — no, I... I don't know!"

The brunet took a step back. "I don't know... I don't _like_ you, that's for sure; this isn't some 12-year-old schoolgirl _crush_ or something. This has nothing to do with lovey-dovey, romantic crap, either. I just.. When we're yelling at each other, and when I feel that feeling of disgust and anger boil and curl in the pit of my stomach at the mere thought of you, I get this weird type of attraction towards you. I think you're..." Daniel swallowed and continued on. "I think you're hot when you're all red-faced and furious at me."

Eldon had absolutely no idea how to reply to that. He felt basically the same way, just maybe a little less intense. He couldn't just say "oh same" and move along. No, he had to somehow _show_ Daniel that he understood completely.

And so, not thinking twice about it, he kissed Daniel.

At first, it was slow and kind of, admittedly, awkward. It wasn't until Eldon grabbed Daniel's waist, tugging him closer and drilling his thumb nails into Daniel's hip bones that things heated up.

Daniel clasped his hand on the back of Eldon's neck, forcing his tongue into the other boy's mouth. Their teeth clashed roughly and their lips were bruising, but somehow that was _okay_ and only made the situation _hotter_. Eldon squeezed his eyes closed, kissing back as enthusiastically as he could. Daniel seemed to enjoy this and placed his free hand on Eldon's back, fingers _just_ slipping beneath the waistline of his shorts.

Eldon gasped into the kiss and Daniel took that as an opportunity to attack and abuse his mouth even more than before. The blonde backed up until he was being pressed against the wall of Studio B, Daniel still getting really into the kiss.

Suddenly, Daniel's lips left Eldon's and began suckling and biting his neck and collarbone instead. Daniel carefully raised his knee and placed it between Eldon's legs, pushing on his groin area in the most pleasurable way. Eldon's eyes rolled back and he had to desperately suppress a loud moan.

Eldon's hands roamed up Daniel's body and found themselves in his mass of thick, brown hair. Daniel moved his lips from Eldon's neck, to his jaw, and back onto his mouth just as a loud chiming noise began to sound.

The two boys pulled away from the heated kiss and breathed sluggishly. Eldon's eyes were half-lidded and full of utter lust, whereas Daniel was looking sheepish. The alarm was still going off behind them. "My phone.. We have to get back... To Studio A... For the competition.."

At the mention of the competition, Eldon's eyes snapped open as quickly as a camera shutter, and he was instantly alert and awake. He untangled himself from Daniel and picked up his bag by the door. "Come on, we better get going. Don't need to get in more trouble than we're already in."

Daniel could only watch him leave in astonishment.

* * *

"Alright!" Miss Kate announced. She flicked a strand of curled blonde hair over her shoulder and turned to her left, where Eldon and Daniel were standing side by side. The room was full of Next Step and Elite dancers, waiting with anticipation for the competition to start. "Eldon, since your name was drawn first, you can dance first."

He nodded as ever clapped and cheered for him encouragingly. Eldon looked over at Daniel, but the latter merely grimaced and glanced away. No good lucks were said.

_There he goes again,_ Eldon thought bitterly, as he made his way to the centre of the room. Acting as if the kiss — which was longer and better than the previous one — had never happened. Was Daniel doomed to be a conceited, heartless ass his entire life? Clearly nothing Eldon did would be able to change his opinion, and that infuriated him immensely.

The music began to play, and Eldon channelled all his anger into his dancing. He was doing _really_ well, and the sound of his fellow Next Step dancers cheering him on was exhilarating and only motivated him to do better. Eldon was truly giving it his all and he clearly showed potential for the Internationals team.

And then it happened.

Just as he finished doing his pirouettes, Eldon rolled his ankle. He only had a few more moves to do before the dance ended, but _oh God _all he could feel was pain exploding in his foot and shooting up the rest of his leg. He hesitated in his dance for just a split second, and, hoping no one noticed, he continued on. Eldon ignored the throbbing sensation that was quickly taking over his entire body, and finished the dance. When the song ended, Eldon collapsed.

He guessed people assumed that the whole flopping on the floor ordeal was some type of dramatic finish, because nobody rushed over to see if he was okay, and the loudness of their claps and supportive shouts was overwhelming. Eldon breathed heavily, chest and heart pounding rhythmically.

A quick glance to his foot showed that it looked okay, and in actuality the throbbing was starting to die down now that he took the weight off of it. Thank goodness.

James came over and stretched out his arm, offering to help his friend stand up. He was grinning widely, as if he'd just won the lottery. Clearly he was proud. Eldon smiled halfheartedly back and accepted the help. Standing up took some effort but he attempted not to show that.

"Dude," James said, trying to contain his emotions. "That was _amazing_. You've _never_ danced like that before _ever_. We're all kind of in shock at how well you did."

Eldon's heart lurched in excitement. Did he really do that well? "Thanks, bro," Eldon replied gratefully, and, using all of his will power not to limp, walked over and sat beside his other friends. They all congratulated him when he sat down, and Eldon just smiled and nodded politely in thanks. Maybe no one had seen him slip up.

Miss Kate, still in awe, clasped her hands together. "Alright, then! After that extraordinary preformance by Eldon; Daniel, it's your turn to compete."

People clapped as Daniel strode confidently over to the centre of the room. Eldon's chest tightened and he urged himself not to stare but somehow he just _couldn't_ look away. After Eldon's mind-blowing dance, it was strange to see Daniel look so composed. Wasn't he _nervous_?

Seeing his discomfort, Thalia placed her hand on Eldon's knee. "Don't worry, Eldon. You did an outstanding job."

"Yeah," West piped up, also patting his friend on the back. "Plus, Daniel's always been your rival, but he could never get on your level. And after what you did just now? There's no way he could top that."

"Unless he's gotten better." Eldon murmured to himself.

Eldon wasn't sure if he believed in any of that stuff, but _maybe_ the force of jinxing yourself was real.

Daniel's music began, slowly but steadily, the beat pumping in everybody's chests. The pain of Eldon's ankle subsided and he could only watch as Daniel preformed the dance of a lifetime. He _had_ gotten better, definitely, 100%. It wasn't noticiable at first, but then the tempo of the song began to pick up, and soon enough Daniel was doing tricks nobody knew he could do, and he was dancing like no one was watching. He was pushing himself towards the edge of perfection, and all Eldon could do was hope.

It was clear as day that Daniel was channeling his anger into his dancing as well. The opportunity to beat Eldon once and for all was too rare to pass up. For all they knew, this could be their last time competing against each other. This only fueled Daniel to strive harder.

His routine finished and the music stopped. Everybody was surprised, slack-jawed and open-mouthed, fallin at the brunet who'd been great before, but not great enough, and who now just proved them all wrong. He'd executed his dance perfectly; no mistakes or mess ups. It was brilliant and spectacular and most of all... It was as good as Eldon had been. And that was the best Eldon's ever danced before.

So if Danel's gotten that good, what did that mean? Were they.. _equal_, now? That word was so _preposterous_ to even think, but somehow, it might just describe them exactly.

"Wow..." Miss Kate whispered, mostly to herself. Although, Lucien heard and smirked cockily. She cleared her throat and plastered a smile on her cheeks, albeit she looked more nervous and worried than Eldon. "Okay, well, then... On the count of three, point to who you think should be on the Internationals team. One, two, three!"

Hands shot up, and Eldon couldn't look, for fear of being sick. His stupid ankle didn't even matter anymore, all he could focused on was his sweaty palms, his rapid breathing, and the floor.

Kate counted quickly to herself and rubbed her forehead anxiously. "It's even. The same amount of people voted for Eldon and Daniel."

"So what does that mean?" Riley asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

Miss Kate and Lucien shared a glance, before Lucien raised his hands. "What else can we do? We have to go into a tie breaker. I for one think Daniel should be on the Internationals Team."

The Next Step instructor caught on immediately. "And I vote for Eldon."

Silence overtook the studio as all eyes fell on Phoebe. She was the only one who hasn't voted, and she'd have to be the one to seal the deal and choose the next member of the Internationals team. The choreographer glanced between the two enemies standing on either side of her. Phoebe took a deep breath, gulped, and finally met the eyes of the two boys who had danced.

"I choose..."

* * *

**NO FLAMES PLEASE (I already know this is awful)**

**\- Emily**

**(PS: thanks for the reviews, follows, and favourites!)**


	3. Authors Note

**Hey, everyone! :)**

**That smiley face isn't a happy one, it's a nervous one, just so you know, lol... anyways. I guess I have some explaining to do...**

**Soooo, I totally had inspiration/motivation to write chapter 3, and then.. it never happened. Idk. I feel really bad, trust me, and I am extremely disappointed with myself. I think it's because I missed a few episodes of TNS and I had no clue what happened and I felt kind of lost.**

**I just watched the winter finale and MY BOY DANIEL CAME BACK TO HELP THE TEAM! Do you understand. How hype I am.**

**I kinda got inspiration again, but, seriously, don't get your hopes up. It'll probably take me forever to write the chapter. So, until then, I am putting this story (officially) on HIATUS.**

**This was just sort of an update type thing anyways. Also!::: I probably won't be using this account as my main one anymore (a backup, at most), because my other fic, My Cahill Life, is absolutely horrendous and I hate it, but I'll feel bad if I take it down because so many people liked it. **

**But yeah. My new/other account is called Drinkable Sausage, if you want to follow me there. Thanks xx**

**\- emily **


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